The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will impose another round of draft restrictions for vessels transiting its Neopanamax locks later this month as water levels in Gatun Lake continue to decline amid a strengthening El Niño. The authority said the latest reductions are based on current and projected water levels in Gatun Lake, the freshwater reservoir that supplies the canal’s lock system. Every transit through the Panama Canal consumes millions of gallons of freshwater, making water conservation critical during periods of below-average rainfall. The authority said it will continue assessing conditions and announce additional operational or water management measures if necessary. The new restrictions remain far less severe than those imposed during the historic 2023-24 drought, when exceptionally low water levels in Gatun Lake forced the Panama Canal to slash daily transits and impose much deeper draft restrictions.